Fatigue
Conditions
Keywords
Traumatic Brain Injury, Fatigue, Modafinil, Somnolence
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether Modafinil is effective in: (1) reducing fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); and (2) improving cognitive function and quality of life in individuals with TBI.
Detailed description
Background: An estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with a TBI-related disability today. These persons may face many issues, however, two chronic problems seem common to a strikingly large number of those who survive TBI: fatigue and EDS. Need for Research: Modafinil has been shown to be useful for fatigue and sleepiness in patients with depression, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and individuals with EDS secondary to a variety of sleep disturbances. However, there has not been any controlled evaluation of Modafinil use for the treatment of individuals with TBI to date. Current and Future Research Activity: Approximately 60 participants with post-TBI fatigue will be randomly assigned to two 10-week periods of taking either Modafinil or placebo. Participants taking Modafinil during the first 10 weeks will be switched to placebo for the second 10 weeks. Similarly, participants taking placebo during the first 10 weeks will be switched to Modafinil for the second 10 weeks. Outcomes relating to fatigue and EDS will be collected weekly throughout the study. Other outcomes (including general health, depression, and cognitive function) will be collected at the start of each period, 4 weeks into each period, and again at the end of each period. It is hypothesized that participants taking Modafinil will report significantly less fatigue and EDS, report significantly better general health and depression scores, and perform significantly better on tests of cognitive performance in comparison to participants taking placebo.
Interventions
DRUGModafinil
Sponsors
U.S. Department of Education
Craig Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Inclusion criteria
* Individuals who sustained a TBI * were discharged from Craig Hospital following initial rehabilitation * are at least one year post-injury * have disabling symptoms of fatigue and/or EDS which compromise their ability to function optimally * (if female) are surgically sterile, two years post-menopausal, or if of childbearing potential, are using a medially acceptable method of birth control and agree to continue use of this method for the duration of the study
Exclusion criteria
* Individuals who have Neurologic and/or neuropsychiatric difficulties and/or deficits which will obscure the evaluation of this medication's effectiveness - * have a diagnosis of other likely causes of EDS * have concurrent medication use and/or clinically significant systemic disease that may cause fatigue and/or diminished arousal * have epilepsy * currently use of any anti-epileptic medications or Warfarin * have cardiovascular disease or risks * have severe renal or hepatic impairment * have significant psychiatric or behavioral disturbance which would obscure the evaluation of medication effectiveness * are a pregnant or lactating female
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Self report of EDS | — |
| Data collected at baseline, 4 weeks, and 10 weeks (for both phases of crossover study) | — |
| Self report of fatigue | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Self report of general health | — |
| Data collected at baseline, 4 weeks, and 10 weeks (for both phases of crossover study) | — |
| Self report of depressive symptomatology | — |
| Performance on tests of cognitive functioning | — |
Outcome results
None listed